


Broken but not Shattered

by Pastel_Colors



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Blind Character, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Cutting, Depression, Gun Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Major Character Injury, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:08:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28718598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastel_Colors/pseuds/Pastel_Colors
Summary: Hajime was captured by an organization that works against talent and the Future Foundation. The Remnants are trying to get him back. Nagito specifically isn't handling it well.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	Broken but not Shattered

...What happened back then...? 

How did things get like this? Why did things go so wrong? When did things go so wrong? 

… 

It was two months ago... Right? 

The last thing Nagito’s memory allowed him to remember was being dragged away by the enemy before his friends came to save him. 

...They, the enemy, wanted a leader. The leader of at least one of the operations to come forwards. Or else he would have to do...And, of course, the one leader Nagito didn’t want to come forth did. One of the leaders of the Remnants of Despair, Hajime Hinata, stepped forward; arms raised to show surrender. He pleaded for Nagito’s life. His worthless life... The leader of the opposing team, a young lady with dark green hair and sharp brown eyes stepped forward. 

She brandished her gun at Nagito’s head and commanded that Hajime came with them but, if he fought back, they would shoot the boy...At this point, Nagito would have preferred getting shot over giving Hajime up, but that was not Nagito’s decisions and Hajime didn’t prefer that. Hajime approached the group as Nagito watched his friends, hoping one of them would do something. Kazuichi, to be fair, did try to approach but, the lady reemphasized that a life was in danger of being immediately ended and Kazuichi stepped back. 

Nagito was the only one to openly protest. He didn’t care about being used or tortured or even killed. He wasn’t worth that much but, Hajime was. Hajime was a leader, the Ultimate Everything and he was... He was important... What has Nagito does other than cause trouble? What has his luck done other than get people hurt? Why was he worth sacrificing a leader for...? But nothing he said or did could convince Hajime. He had a heart of gold after all, he would be fine sacrificing everything for someone as useless as Nagito, that’s just his nature. Nagito didn’t realize he was crying until he could hear it in the way his voice cracked. He could see that Hajime noticed his misery; his face grimaced in a mixture of sorrow and pain, he wouldn’t even look at Nagito. 

The green-haired lady was satisfied with this choice and tossed Nagito to the friends that were about to abandon Hajime. Sonia used her pocketknife to cut the ropes from Nagito wrists. As Nagito turned back, he saw the enemies walking away with Hajime in tow. Some primal sadness took over Nagito and he tried to run after them only to be stopped by Akane, holding him back by locking his shoulders in a deathly grip. He couldn’t even speak in words, he just wailed and tried to get Hajime back. 

...Why? This was his fault... He always did this. Getting attached despite it never ending well. He just thought Hajime was the exception with luck of his own. But it was no use; Nagito’s luck was taunting him again, making it clear that nothing and no one was more powerful than it. When the enemies and Hajime were out of sight, Akane dropped him. Nagito just sobbed onto the gravel. No one could say anything... 

… 

“K-Komaeda-san?” Mikan called out, snapping Nagito out of his thoughts. 

“Huh...? Oh, sorry Tsumiki.” Nagito raised his head. It had been so long since he could look an Ultimate in the eyes and not see the failures they’ve committed, and while he doesn’t hold that same animosity to Mikan, since she wasn’t there, he couldn’t help but to generalize like he always had, “What were you saying?” 

“I was saying that your wounds have healed up enough for me to send you on your way.” She walked over the front desk and picked up what looked like a first aid kit. For a few seconds she stared at the kit before walking back to Nagito and giving it to him, “To clean your wounds...a-and replace the bandages a-around your arms...Be sure to do this once every few days until it’s all healed up.” 

Nagito took the kit and went to leave. Mikan grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. Nagito looked back and her facial expression...it’s a sad but, knowing one. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re trying to do and it’s n-n-not my place to pry but...” Mikan takes a deep breath, “Cutting yourself won’t solve anything. Tr-trust me...I would know.” Her bandaged arm gripped at her chest, “I-I know I’m not as good as _him_ at this but, if y-you need someone to t-talk to. I’m here.” 

Nagito’s shoulders slumped a little. She wouldn’t understand. But there’s no reason to completely ignore her when she’s trying to help; that would be insensitive. 

“Thank you.” Nagito pulled away his sleeve and walked out the hospital. 

He gripped the kit close to his chest. She wouldn’t understand... While Nagito was devastated, some can even say broken, over the loss; that wasn’t the reason why. No one would understand the reason, Nagito barely understood it himself. It’s just a theory after all but, maybe if he caused pain to himself, that would force his luck to only be good luck from that point forwards. He had no idea if it will actually work and he had his doubts that it would be that simple but, Nagito was getting desperate... Hajime’s luck at least kept Nagito’s at bay but, now that Hajime was... and Nagito was alone, he needed to handle his luck on his own. 

He made it home; unlocking the door, he found the same space he always had. A big empty house full of things that he didn’t need and messes everywhere; everything was collecting dust. He never realized how repetitive things got until the times he repeated lost its joyful meaning. The house meant for two now felt so big to Nagito despite him once living in much bigger. He put the kit down on the kitchen counter and went to bed. It was the middle of the day and the sun was making that obvious but, he didn’t care; he was tired, and tomorrow was a special day. 

He slept through the day and night until the newly risen sun beaming in his eyes woke him up again. All he could do was lay in bed. He wasn’t tired just, not ready to face the day. Not today... He shut his eyes tight and hoped he could get just a few more hours in so he can skip this day...When that didn’t happen, Nagito accepted that he needed to take in the day. He looked at his phone in the pillow beside him and turned it on to see what day it was. Not like he didn’t already know. 

January 1st... 

“...Happy Birthday, Hajime...” Tears started to water in his eyes. This was supposed to be the first birthday they spent engaged. This was supposed to be happy. So why was Nagito crying? He looked at his ring, a beautiful golden ring with a simple design of three small emeralds etched into the ring, on the back, it has an engravement of the word ‘Hope’ in cursive. He clenched the ring close to his heart. Despite the tears falling harder than ever, he felt a little bit of hope looking at this ring. “Love you...” 

He got out of bed. Stumbling into the bathroom to freshen up. It all passed like a blur; next thing he knew, he was out of the house. What was he going to do today of all days? He wasn’t hungry, though he never was anymore. He decided to go to the beach. That would at least get him away from all the others and they wouldn’t have to see his disheveled appearance. He started walking and looking around; he hadn’t done that in a while. The scenery seemed much duller than Nagito remembered it to be but, that could just be Nagito. The sound of his footsteps and the wind and other noises faded to pure white noise, it almost seemed silent; he just kept looking at his ring, trying to find the hope he once was overflowed with. Was his hope taken with Hajime? Was Hajime his hope? Nagito didn’t know. 

He made it to the beach, no one was there thankfully. Taking off his shoes, he walked on the sandy floor; the sand was hot to the touch but Nagito barely cared. He barely took care of himself anyways; what’s a bit of burned feet going to do? 

...He always was afraid of water. The ocean specifically was quite scary but, lately, it felt relaxing to just dip his feet into the shallow end and watch as the water licked his toes with varying strengths of splashes. Some weak, some average, some strong. Just like life in a way. Some problems are weak and easy to overcome, like a hole you can easily step over. Some problems are average, with a bit of hard work, you can overcome, like a particularly hard math question. And some problems seem so difficult that the waves of issues feel like they are pulling you down and drowning you in the waters of trauma and loss. Sometimes it would feel much easier to just let the waves consume you and drown with all your problems but, as Hajime always said, ‘If you don’t get past your problems, how will you ever see the rewards of the future?’ 

...And he’s right of course. If Nagito could just get past this huge wave, maybe there would be something beautiful behind it...And that’s why...no matter how hard it is, Nagito will never give up on life. For all those he lost to death like his parents or those needs to find, he’ll keep going. Nagito looked at the distance waves and smiled. He’ll keep going. He looked down at the waters to find his reflection in it. He looked like shit...He needed to take better care of himself. Maybe he’d do that right now. 

He went to the cafeteria; some people were still there, he got some stares for his ghostly appearance but, he was going to fix that right now so who cares? He grabbed an apple and some toast and headed to one of the tables. He sat his food and himself down and started eating. It’s been a while since he was willing to eat in front of his fellow Ultimates. Ibuki sat next to him, her face was as light as usual. 

“Is Nagito-chan actually sitting and eating with us? Ibuki is so happy with your appearance!” She said in her usual sing-songy voice, “I was getting worried that Nagito-chan was avoiding us!” 

Nagito didn’t respond, he didn’t know what to say. ‘Sorry’? ‘I was’? ‘Let me eat my goddamn food in peace’? Definitely not the last one. 

“And you’re eating food! Ibuki was also worried that you were starving yourself! If you kept this up too long, Ibuki was going to break into your house and force feed you herself!” Ibuki continued, trying to sound scolding but sounded too dramatic instead, “I still may do that if you go too long without eating again.” 

Nagito giggled. He couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at Ibuki. Soon others joined in and started chatting with Nagito like nothing changed. Nagito was a bit uncomfortable. How could they ask this normal when a crucial member of their group is gone? Especially on his birthday. But maybe that’s why they were acting normal. To try and be happy on his birthday rather than be depressed. Nagito might as well asked though, to get an actual answer. 

“Why are you guys being like this; so chatty?” Nagito asked. 

“Because you’re our friend,” Nekomaru answered, ruffling Nagito’s hair, “We care about you and understand you’re going through a shitty time, especially today. So, we want to help you. Besides, if you keep moping, YOUR LIFE WILL TURN TO SHIT!” he roared. Yup, same old Nekomaru. 

“Nidai-san is right, Komaeda-san" Sonia added, “If you do not attempt to work hard, your life will stay ‘depressing 100’!” 

. . .Did...Did Sonia just say that? Geez, this is even worse than her ‘L O L’ puns. People sighed and laughed, people talked and for a brief moment, it felt like everything was alright again. He almost expected Hajime to come in and greet everyone again, it felt so normal, but Nagito needed to remember that he was still gone... 

… 

But not dead... 

Kazuichi then burst into the cafeteria, completely out of breath. Everyone turned to see what all the commotion was about. 

“Souda-kun, what’s wrong?” Nagito asked. 

When Souda finally caught his breath, he looked up. His face full of excitement, “He...He’s...” 

“’He’s’? Who is ‘he’ and he’s what?” Teruteru asked. 

“He’s alive! Hajime’s alive! We finally found a signal! We know where he is!” 

The whole group practically jumped out of their seats. Hajime’s alive! Nagito should have known to just trust in hope this whole time! Immediately, Nagito ran up to Kazuichi. 

“Where? Where is he??” Nagito asked, desperate to cling onto more hope before this hope inside of him faded. 

“A facility at the very border of Fukuoka, next to the ocean.” Kazuichi showed him a map. There’s a part of West Fukuoka that is circled in red marker, “That’s where the signal came from, that’s where Hajime is. I already contacted Naegi; we are going to rescue him starting tomorrow morning. It’s going to take a few days but, it’s possible now.” 

Everyone seemed even more chatty now. Talks of plans and missions; who should go and who should stay. Amongst the chatter, Kazuichi called out to Nagito; dragging him outside of the cafeteria. 

“Listen uhh Komaeda, I know what you’ve decided but, I want you to reconsider something.” 

“Uh...what should I be reconsidering?” 

“...Joining us in rescuing Hajime.” Nagito was just about to protest when Kazuichi piped up again, “Wait, I know what you’re going to say be please, just listen. This is a stealth mission into dangerous enemy territory and anyone that goes into it has a high chance of not back alive. Komaeda...Hinata would kill me if I let you die in the very place, he sacrificed his freedom to prevent you from dying in. Besides, wouldn’t you dying there make his sacrifice in vain?” 

“Who says I’ll die there?” Nagito countered, a little offended at Kazuichi demeaning offer. 

“Komaeda come on, when was the last time you had a real meal and not just a small apple? When was the last time you’ve have a decent sleep schedule? You’re not at your best physically or mentally. And even if you were, the likeliness would still be high. And from what I can see, your luck doesn’t necessarily protect you. What if you die and the good luck is that Hajime gets out safely?” 

Nagito smiled, “Then that would be a win in my book. Hajime is stronger than me, he’ll forget about me eventually but, I’ll never forget about him... I’m just too obsessed, I guess.” 

“That won’t happen.” Kazuichi replied, “Y’know what will happen? He’ll find a way to blame himself, he’ll mourn, he’ll feel guilty about it. Just like you. He already has done that before; with Nanami, there’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t blame himself for what happened with her and with the council. He tries so hard to protect you to make sure you don’t end up the same. If you die, your death along with the many others slain or abandoned by Izuru will haunt Hajime forever.” 

Nagito didn’t know how to respond. Should he respond at all? 

“I’m not telling you that you can’t come, I’m telling you to consider not to. Do you really think things will go well if you do? If you think that then go ahead, I won’t stop you.” Kazuichi added before walking back inside the cafeteria. 

Nagito was left alone with a lot to think about. As much as he’d hate to admit it, Kazuichi had a point... But maybe Nagito’s method of controlling his luck would work. Maybe... Well, he had a day to decide. Maybe the answer would come to him tomorrow. Today, Nagito wanted to enjoy the fact that his lover was still alive and could be saved. He went back into the cafeteria to discuss things with all the Ultimates. 

… 

It was early the next morning. Nagito had set an alarm for 5 am so he could have time to make a final decision. He got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. As the cool water sprayed down onto him, that’s when the giant wave of doubt came tumbling down. What if he couldn’t save Hajime? What if his luck got Hajime killed? What if he got killed and that causes Hajime to suffer? Would not going truly be better? What if... 

Nagito couldn’t even stand, he leaned in the back wall of the shower as he slid down then hugged his knees. These questions weighed on him like heavy waves crashing down, forcing him underwater where he couldn’t breathe. He needed to calm down...focus on something else, like the scenery. The water was spraying down mercilessly on Nagito, some of it even got into his eyes. The tiles were a pale green color with light pink cherry blossoms as a design and the floor tiles where a place white color, no design. 

Nagito stood up, it was still hard to breathe but, not impossible now. He turned off the water and dried himself off; looking at himself in the mirror, he could see what Kazuichi was talking about, even with sleep, he had circles and he lost even more weight. But he was going to make a change, regardless of whether they get Hajime back. If they didn’t...it would harder but, he needed to take care of himself. Hajime wouldn’t have wanted to see Nagito wither himself away and neither would his parents. 

There was just one thing left to do. He took off his bandages and grabbed a razor blade from the cabinet. And for a second, he hesitated. Would this actually work? Well, he won’t know until he tried. He slid the blade on fresh skin, it burned as expected, blood poured out of him like a... how would you describe this? Kind of like a fountain but, not anywhere nearly as extreme and definitely not as much. Maybe, it’s best not to think about it. He continued to do this for a few more slices before figuring that was enough. 

He quickly went to the kitchen and grabbed the rubbing alcohol and extra bandages from the kit, trying not to bleed on anything; he walked right back to the bathroom. He then, poured some rubbing alcohol on the wound. Fuck! It burned... he dropped the bottle and but luckily catching it as quickly as he dropped it, so he didn’t spill much. He then put the bottle down and wrapped the wound in the bandages. 

Putting on his usual, he stepped outside where he saw Kazuichi at his doorstep. 

“Good morning Souda-kun.” 

“Mornin’...have you made your decision? Despite what I said, you’re the one with priority over whether you come or not.” 

‘Priority’? “What do you mean?” Nagito asked. 

“Everyone in the group has agreed that this means more to you than it does to us. You have a lot more to lose so, if you want to come, you’re coming regardless of who else wants to. Only three people have priority. Kuzuryu, he knows a lot about stealth. Me, I still need to use my tracker and find the exact location. And you, since this is your fiancé. So, what do you say?” 

Nagito had given it a lot of thought and even now, he felt unsure about somethings but, his heart was guiding him in a certain direction so, he was going with that, 

“I’m going.” Nagito said definitively. 

Kazuichi sighed, “I thought you were going to say that.” He got up, “Well, let’s get going then.” He didn’t seem angry or even disappointed. He just smiles and left. Nagito followed. There was a dock on the Main Island where they let boats in and out; a ship was waiting on said docks with Makoto Naegi on the dock, waiting to greet them Nagito guessed. 

“We’re here Naegi.” Kazuichi called out, “Komaeda is coming.” 

Makoto smiled, “Okay then, that means the five people going in are, Souda, Kuzuryu, Tsumiki, Koizumi and Komaeda. I’ll stay outside to make sure that out getaway is smooth and to report if any guards go in or out of the entrance you guys go in and Saionji has agreed to provide distraction.” 

Everyone agreed to the plan and those called when onto the ship. Thus the mission to save Hajime had started. 

… 

It took two days to get to the location but, they finally found it. A dark facility in the middle of nowhere, near a beach. 

“Okay, this is as close as I can get,” Makoto said, “I’ll be setting up the getaway and any extra supplies that could be needed to make this as smooth as possible. Kazuichi has an earpiece that he can use to interact with me if necessary. The rest is up to you guys. You all equipped your bulletproof jackets, right?” 

Everyone nodded. 

“We even brought an extra for Hinata,” Fuyuhiko said, “Just in case.” 

“Okay then, good luck.” 

First was the distraction. Hiyoko bravely appeared in front of the guards and lured them away from the entrance. Quickly, everyone else snuck into the facility. Most of it was underground which explained why it stayed hidden for so long. It was huge and grey; the oppressing atmosphere made Nagito want to leave immediately. Every step the group took seemed to echo loudly and it made Nagito nervous but, he couldn’t forget why he was there. 

Luckily, before any of this happened, the Future Foundation took all the security cameras for themselves so, there weren’t any for this facility to use. The group simply had to avoid people. 

“Also remember,” Kazuichi whispered, “We aren’t just here to get Hinata, we also need to get some information about what this facility is about and where they may strike next. That’s why Koizumi is here. So, keep your eyes open.” 

Nagito didn’t like that there was a side quest, he just wanted to find Hajime and get out but, this wasn’t just his mission so, he just had to deal with it. They spent the next hour dodging guards when they can and knocking guards out when they can’t. A part of Nagito thought it was too merciful to just knock them out, especially when said guards would never do the same but, he wouldn’t dare say that out loud. Mahiru took pictures of everything she found suspicious and the rest would point the suspicious things she missed out to her. Then, they heard the oddest sound. A... violin? Someone was playing the violin. 

(Ocean Serenade from Sailor Moon Crystal was the song I listened to if you want to feel the atmosphere, but you can also play your own violin song too) 

Everyone heard it but, only Nagito followed it. Soon enough, he was alone. By the time he noticed, he was too far in to go back. He kept following the beautiful music until he found the source. It came from a room; inside was a little girl about ten years old. She had tan-ish skin and brown hair that reached down to her mid back. She was wearing a light blue dress with little poofy sleeves and lacy trim on the edges of the sleeves and a very poofy skirt with the same lace on the edges and a white apron on the front of her dress. She was also wearing white stockings and what looked like those little heels they would make little girls wear to church. The looks seemed to look like a character Nagito once read about. Alice, the name was. Alice in Wonderland. 

She opened her olive-green eyes and stopped when she saw Nagito...She kind of looks like Hajime. 

“Oh sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Nagito apologized, “I was just wondering where that music came from.” 

“Who are you?” The girl asked. 

“Oh right, sorry. My name is Nagito Komaeda. And you?” 

“...Yuka...my name is Yuka Hinata.” 

_Hinata?_

“Are you here to see the sad man?” Yuka asked. 

“Sad man? What sad man?” 

“A couple of months ago, the people here brought in a man. I could hear what they would do and say to him through the vents. It carries a lot of sound.” Yuka paused, her face looked sad, “Even though he would never ask like it while they were there; after they left, he would cry. He sounds like he was really sad, and he was in a lot of pain so I sometimes play my violin when he cries and then he would stop. I don’t know if he can hear me but, I just hope that my playing makes him feel better. He once mentioned a ‘Komaeda’ before. So, I was wondering if you were the guy he was talking about.” 

That has to be Hajime! There’s no doubt about it. He was crying...? He doesn’t usually cry... What did these people do to him? 

“Can you take me to him?” Nagito asked. 

“Umm, I don’t know where he is but, I can take you to where they usually keep ‘outsiders’ you have a good shot of finding him in there.” 

“Thank you!” 

This is it! He’s going to find his missing piece, then this nightmare can be all over. The little girl took Nagito to what did look like a holding facility. He quietly opened the door and luckily there were no guards. They walked in, check every name plate until they could find Hajime’s. Then they heard a voice and footsteps. They had to hide! Yuka told Nagito to hide under the tables, since there were cloths to hide them. The voices go close enough for Nagito to understand a bit of it. 

"You can’t do this! He’ll die!” A lady screamed in a pleading voice. 

The footsteps stopped. “Then so be it! I gave that man enough second chances!” That was the voice of that leader all that time ago... “I’ll let him bleed out for all I care!” It seems the leader walked off followed quickly by the pleading woman. 

“Please! Lyra please! That’s my son!” the lady continued to plea. 

Then the voices faded again until they were gone. 

“Mama...?” Yuka said quietly but in pure fear. 

They left the table and saw a new trail of blood droplets. The duo followed the drops of blood until they reached a cell. The cell’s name plate “Hajime Hinata”. No... Nagito opened cell using the key left on the outside of the door. And no...no no no! 

Hajime was just lying there in a pool of blood. 

“HAJIME!” Nagito called out, his heart breaking, “Nonono, please don’t be...” He ran over to his lover and turn him over. The knife wound was right in the abdomen. Panicking, Nagito immediately put pressure on the wound. 

“Hajime! Hajime!” Nagito kept calling out, “Please...Answer me!” 

“...Nagito...?” 

He was alive! He’s still alive! 

“...Hey! I’m right here...” Nagito said. Unable to think of anything else to say. Nagito reached out and cupped Hajime’s face, “I’m...right here.” 

How was he going to get Hajime out of here? He didn’t have any means to call his group or Makoto, Kazuichi had the earpiece. He didn’t even have the bulletproof jacket for Hajime and never had one for Yuka so they couldn’t just run through the guards. And even if they did, they could be headshot immediately. 

“You guys came...I’m glad...Sorry for putting you in such danger...” Hajime managed out. 

“Hajime, stop talking, save your strength.” 

What was Nagito supposed to do? 

“I can check if the coast is clear.” Yuka offered, “They won’t shoot me if they don’t see you with me.” 

“That’s a good idea. Thank you, Yuka.” That might be their only way... 

“Where should I search?” 

And with that, they fell into a pattern. Nagito would tell Yuka where they needed to go, Yuka would check if the coast was clear. If it was, they would go; if it wasn’t, they would take another direction. If someone was heading their way, they would either hide or knock them out. This lasted until they were out of the facility. 

“NAEGI!” Nagito called out. Makoto might have some medical supplies, “NAEGI, WHERE ARE YOU?!” 

Then, the truck they brought drove by and opened its door. Mikan reached her arm out but the truck didn’t stop. Nagito looked back and saw a whole squad of guardsmen chasing them. So that’s why they couldn’t stop. Nagito handed Mikan Hajime first. And she pulled them in. The truck was starting to get away, they couldn’t turn back. So Nagito had to run and run faster than he had ever before to catch up. He did catch up, enough to be grabbed by Mikan again. 

“Wait, Komaeda!” Yuka called out. 

Nagito turned and saw Yuka getting farther away. She was stabbed in the arm! Someone threw a knife at her?! If she’s caught, they might kill her! Nagito tried to squirm out of Mikan’s grasp. 

“Komaeda-san?! What are you doing?!” 

“Let me go! If they catch up to her, they’ll kill her!” 

“They’ll kill YOU, Dumbass!” Fuyuhiko screamed. 

“I have to try...It’s my fault she’s even here.” He got free and ran back for Yuka. 

“KOMAEDA!” They all screamed. 

Grabbing and carrying Yuka, he tried to make back to the truck, but the guards were catching up very quickly, and the truck was just too fast and Nagito was getting really tired... They weren’t going to make it. They weren’t going...to make it... 

Was Nagito, really going to die again? It was scary the first time and even scarier this time knowing that if he dies, Yuka dies too. And Hajime...if what Kazuichi said was true...This would scar him... 

… 

Then...suddenly truck stopped. Everyone got out and with their gun started firing. Nagito got out of the way. And Hajime...no, Izuru ran out the truck. And with his bare hands, started to fight every person he could get his hands on, taking them out group by group. Nagito knew Izuru was a powerful human but...this seems beyond what even the best human could do, especially injured. Nagito made it to the truck and got a gun as well then, joined the others while Yuka sat in the truck. 

Soon enough their leader, Lyra was her name, called them off and they all evacuated. Izuru just stood there, staring, then dropping to the floor. Komaeda and Mikan carried him inside the truck and they all drove away. 

The drive back to the boat was tense. Nobody said a word. Makoto drove, Mikan and Nagito treated Hajime and Yuka’s wounds and the rest were silent. Then Fuyuhiko spoke up. 

“Okay... What. Was. THAT?! First you up and DISAPPEAR when we’re in enemy territory then you bring this CHILD along with you, then you dropped out of the truck to run back for the child that YOU BROUGHT ALONG for some reason, forcing us to stop and shoot at people that we didn’t want to kill!! WHAT THE HELL?!” 

“...I’m sorry...” Nagito could only respond with that. 

“Kuzuryu-san, don’t be too angry at him. He protected a child.” Mahiru defended. 

“A child HE brought along for some god forsaken reason!” Fuyuhiko screamed, still fuming, “Just... what would have happened if he died...” 

“Regardless, he did the right thing.” Hajime added, barely above a whisper, “I’m proud of you Nagito.” He tried to smile but didn’t have enough energy to make a full-on smile. Nagito smiled back. 

“Hinata-san, y-you shouldn’t be talking. You’ve l-lost a dangerous amount o-of blood. You need to relax. Save y-your strength so you can s-stay awake until we get to the boat.” 

“I have to stay awake...? Great...” 

The room fell back into a dead silent for the rest of the ride. 

… 

Finally, they made it back onto the boat. They quickly took Hajime to an infirmary where Mikan can work with doctors and surgeons and proper tools. Nagito, however was told to wait outside of the infirmary and Yuka joined him. 

“...Thank you for saving me.” She spoke. 

“You shouldn’t thank me...I was the one that got you in trouble in the first place.” 

“Well yeah but, I always wanted to leave that place. The guards are mean...And they like hurting people. So, I wanted to leave but, I had nowhere to go. So, I’m glad you got me out of there. Thank you.” 

“Oh...uhm. In that case, you’re welcome.” 

Nagito couldn’t help but notice the big, red blood stain on her poofy sleeve. 

“How’s your arm feeling?” Nagito asked. 

“It hurts but, I’ll be fine. You guys patched it up after all.” 

“Hmm...” 

After a few hours of waiting. Mikan comes out and ushers Nagito in the room. Nagito enters and sees Hajime sitting up in his bed but, it seems like he’s staring into nothing. 

“Th-The surgery went better than expected and even after Izuru pushed his body to the limit, Hajime is expected to make a full recovery with his stab wound...” Mikan took off her surgical mask and frowned, “But, apparently one of the torture methods used to try and get something out of Hinata was to pour some burning substance in his eyes, that severely damaged the sclera and partially damaged the cornea and the optic nerve. In other words, he’s gone blind... And he refuses to try surgery for the time being. I’m sorry.” 

Mikan didn’t give Nagito much time to respond before leaving the room to talk to Yuka. Nagito looked at Hajime. Was he really blind? He walked over the side of Hajime’s bed. 

“Hajime...?” 

“Hmm...?” Hajime looked over in Nagito’s direction but not at Nagito... Not even near Nagito’s face, he overshot the distance and stared at the wall instead. “Nagito, is that you? Sorry, I can’t exactly uh see you.” Hajime tried to look happy, maybe to make Nagito feel better. It wasn’t working. Nagito cupped Hajime’s cheeks and guided him in Nagito’s actual direction. Hajime’s eyes were a ghostly white with a little hint of green. It was kind of pretty in a haunting way. 

“Heh, sorry. I’ll get the hang of this soon enough.” 

Hajime reaching out his hand and Nagito took it in his. 

“You’re still wearing the ring...” Hajime noticed. 

“Of course.” 

“Nagito...I’m so sorry. They took mine...” He looked down, looking ashamed. 

For whatever reason, that was the comment that broke Nagito down. He hugged Hajime while tear streamed down his face. 

“That's what you care about?! _Who care?!_ I’m just happy that you’re alive!” 

Hajime hugged back. “And I’m glad you got out of there safely. Truth be told, while I do think you did the morally right thing in saving that child, I would have been devastated if I lost you because of it.” 

“Well, I’m here. I’m here, you’re here. We’re all here and we’re all safe now.” Nagito said, more to himself than to Hajime, “...We’re all safe.” 

...Yeah. Everyone is safe. They’ll have to cope with the new child with them and Hajime’s blindness but, that’s in the future. Right now, everything is okay. Nagito pressed his lips against his fiancé's and cupped his face, he heard a surprised noise but soon after Hajime started kissing back. His face felt warm, alive. Hajime was alive. Nagito had to really let that sink in, he got his lover back; he got his hope back. 

Everything is going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> (6000 words... Geez, that’s a lot of writing.)
> 
> Well, I might make this a series if I feel like it or if it gets popular.


End file.
